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5 attributes of high-quality web testing experts

Posted by Dan Berry on Thursday 14 September 2017

Web testing is a complex discipline. Not only do you need to be technically proficient, you need to think creatively and keep pace with the changing digital landscape as new technologies and threats pop up on a daily basis.

It’s a lot to take on board. And, as such, crowdsourced software testers bring both the quality of work and the quantity of resources required to provide you with the robust testing and coverage you need.

At BugFinders, we have a community of more than 55,000 expert software testers. Each one is an experienced professional, who possesses a very refined skill set and has demonstrated their qualifications, as well as participated in a large number of projects. And our testers have already raised more than a quarter of a million issues across thousands of tests.

So, what do we look for from our software testers? Here’s a list of the top qualities every one of our testers needs:

1) Attention to detail

A show-stopping bug is easy to detect, but the ability to identify an issue that isn’t immediately obvious is far more valuable as a software tester. Sometimes, it’s the small glitches that have the biggest impact if, for example, your “add to basket” button displays off the screen or broken links send your customers to a 404 error page.

So, in addition to understanding the big picture, an effective tester must be able to pay attention to the finer details - both for the web testing project itself and in the test brief.

2) An ability to communicate

Both verbal and written communication skills are vital. Software testers must be able to understand the requirements, describe the test criteria and explain how to recreate any issues they discover to a range of audiences.

As such, you need to communicate clearly across teams and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions and vocalise any concerns you have.

3) Thinking outside of the box

Functional tests and use cases are important, but a good software tester will not blindly follow such instructions. After all, users rarely stick to the rules when they use a website or app - so why should your software testers?

A software tester understands the world of the user. They will take into account any environmental conditions, non-ideal situations and extend the use cases to thoroughly test the software in these extenuating circumstances.

4) Creativity and relating well of customers

A good software tester can understand the customer’s perspective, their needs and will test a product or service based on this premise. Because, no matter how useful you think your product is - it’s not going to be of any interest to your customers, unless it satisfies their needs.

This requires a creative mindset where the tester considers all the ways a user may interact with a website or application.

This includes scenarios where the user may misuse or abuse the system - the tester really has to be able to think beyond what is expected from the software, and its users.

5) A passion for analysis and testing

Enthusiasm for analysis and testing work is a key characteristic for software testers. That’s an area where our crowdsourced testers really excel - their passion for testing is always more than apparent. They choose to test because they love it. For most, it’s a vocation.

Here’s what one of testers said about their work: “It is my passion to perform application testing and help customers to make their product issue-free. As a software tester, I am not only passionate about testing but I have been acting as an end user advocate and I feel very proud when I find defects that others haven’t found.”

Pulling it together

As you can see, a solid software tester needs a diverse range of skills. They also need access to a multitude of devices, operating systems and the ability to work to (sometimes) exceptionally tight deadlines.

This is where a community-based approach can help where, instead of using a small team of in-house testers, you use a skilled fleet of crowdsourced testers with 24/7 availability. This doesn’t just boost the coverage of your tests - you’ll also be able to squeeze thousands of work hours into a couple of days.

In other words, a crowdsourced approach brings the large-scale agility you need to make sure your software is thoroughly tested on a global scale. You’ll also get access to 50K+ devices and reassurance that each and every tester has been fully vetted and works under NDA.

Because the devil is in the detail when we take on any one of our software testers too. We’re passionate about finding the very best software testers the world has to offer.

Our best testers have been testing on average for 10+ years, and we measure each tester according to their acceptance rate, which is the total of their bugs raised which are accepted as valid.

And, when a new tester registers, they’re tested. As a first step, they have to find five issues on a test site, which are then evaluated by our team. Only those who meet our exceptionally high standards are allowed to join our community.

Interested in what our testers can do for you? Calculate a price for your web testing project with our pricing calculator!

Overview

BugFinders is a worldwide leading crowdsourced software testing company.